Sandstone is a rock comprising mostly of minerals formed from sand. The stone gains its formation throughout centuries of deposits forming in lakes, rivers, or on the ocean floor. These elements group together with the minerals quartz or calcite and compresses. In time, the sandstone is formed by the pressure of these minerals coming together.
The two main stages
The first stage in the process involves layers of sand amassing due to the process of sedimentation, when particles settle in the fluid they sit in and rest against a barricade; this can either be from water or air. The stone then becomes cemented by the pressure of the suspended stone being precipitated between grains.
The stone is formed from the sand of older, fragmented rocks. This then forms the stone that is typically said to contain sand ranging in size from 1/16th of a millimetre to 2 millimetres. Think about how many of these tiny grands of sand make up one block of sandstone, the stone if formed from all of those tiny grains coming together and compressing.
Whilst sand is the most common element found in sandstone (hence the name), there can often me other materials found in it such as cement and matrix. Cement located within the stone is usually comprised of quartz, calcium carbonate or iron oxide. When it holds too much cement material, it is thought of as poorly formed stone.
The stone can be created wherever the conditions listed above are suitable for its creation. Formation occurs mostly in rivers, lakes, the ocean floor, desert dunes and beaches.
The variations
There are different classifications of sandstone and whilst sandstone is made up of generally the same minerals they may contain different components that help them form. Sandstone has natural variations in colour, tone, shade and grain. Some stones have oxidising properties and others have unchanging banding.
Sandstone is a very common mineral and can be found all over the world. There are large deposits found in the United States, South Africa (where eight different varieties of the stone can be found), and Germany holds the most locations of sandstone deposits in the world.
Australia too has large deposits of sandstone. Gosford Quarries prides itself on extracting the highest quality natural sandstone. We boast the largest variety of colours and textures. Our passion for producing fine quality sandstone stems from the enjoyment people get from this stunning rock.